Free Fall
by Kusari-Gama 61602
Summary: What happened after Junko threw herself off of the cliff, leaving Storm Shadow behind? Takes place after Master & Apprentice V2. Warning: lotsa flashbacks. Rewritten. Storm/Junko
1. Prologue

**A/N:** Here's the rewritten version. Enjoy.

* * *

It was the strangest sensation, falling without any intent of landing properly. It was like flying. Flying without wings.

Had it been another place or time, Junko might've enjoyed it. But right then, all she could feel was the wind and the dull ache in her chest.

Storm Shadow. Tommy. How could she hurt Tommy? Tommy, who gave her a new purpose in life. Tommy, who trained her and helped her hone her talents. Tommy, who loved her and gave her inner strength.

She had betrayed him. She had taken everything he had given her and turned it back on him with a sharp tongue and a bloody sword. He was still reeling from his last encounter with the Brainwave Scanner; the last thing he needed was her denying everything they had.

Saving them both so much anguish... it wasn't a bad reason to die. There was no way she'd be able to go on if it meant daily facing the scars she'd given him. She wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes without remembering how wide they were with fear and desperation. And, haunted by her betrayal, he would never love her as he had before.

But for now, he still cared for her. She heard him screaming her name as she fell, his broken voice fading with distance. _Please understand, _she silently begged. _Please understand that I never meant to hurt you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Forgive me for not forgiving myself. _

She closed her eyes. Relaxed. For a moment, she felt as if she was flying upwards instead of falling to her death. She couldn't hear him anymore, couldn't feel gravity tugging her down inexorably.

The water hit her with more force than she had expected. She couldn't breathe, couldn't gasp. For a moment, she panicked.

Her body numbed as she slipped into the waiting darkness.

Then, nothing.

She was free.


	2. Chapter 1

The air was filled with quiet sobs and comforting murmurs as the families of the recently killed ninjas carried their loved ones' cremated remains to their family graves. Snake-Eyes surveyed the scene before him. Deaths, although not uncommon in ninja clans, took a heavy toll on everyone whenever they occurred.

"What are we going to do about Junko?" Billy asked quietly, his remaining eye staring off into the distance. "She needs to be remembered somehow."

Snake lifted his hands. _[To be honest, I haven't the slightest idea. I don't know if she'd want to be remembered with Tommy's family, or if she'd want a separate memorial.]_

"Poor Junko," Billy murmured. "Poor Tommy."

Snake-Eyes could only nod. It was one thing to lose a lover. Losing a lover _and _an apprentice was a whole extra burden to carry.

He felt a nudge on his arm, and he looked to his right. Billy stared at him as he pointed at a black figure moving away. "We should go talk to him," he said quietly. "He's hurting."

Snake glanced at a nearby ninja, who nodded slowly in acknowledgement, before going with Billy. They walked silently until they were outside the Arashikage compound. The gravel underneath their feet crunched softly. Billy noted that the Silent Master was making a considerable effort to make noise as he walked. It wasn't easy, but he supposed Snake didn't want to possibly startle Storm, however impossible that might seem.

They stopped several feet away from the Young Master. "Tommy," Billy called.

Storm Shadow turned his head slightly, his black mourning robes fluttering gently in the wind. "I'm going to go look for her."

Billy and Snake exchanged a look. "Then I'll go with you." Billy took a step forward, but stopped when Snake-Eyes blocked him.

_[No. I'll go. You stay and watch the compound.] _

"Why?" Billy asked without thinking. "It should be my duty to accompany my teacher in a search for a fellow apprentice."

_[You're a _former _apprentice. You're a full-trained ninja taught by my brother; your obligation is keeping the compound in order whenever Tommy and I are out.] _

Billy crossed his arms. "Can't Jinx take control?"

_[Jinx is still recovering from her injuries.] _

"So? She can still talk and order people around."

_[She's restricted to bed rest.] _

Billy snorted and rolled his eyes childishly. "Big deal. She's going to try to escape soon anyways."

_[You obviously haven't been in the company of our ninja medics for long.] _

"Brother, Billy, stop." Storm Shadow turned to face them. "You may both come. Kamakura should be returning from his mission any minute now. I've left a note for him to watch over things until we get back."

Snake-Eyes nodded once and started following Tommy. Billy strongly considered sticking his tongue out at the passing ninja until Snake fell back to sign to him.

_[Should you find her body, alert me first - not Tommy. I do not want him to see her in that state. It'll give me at least a few seconds to cover her body.] _

Billy nodded. His chest felt heavier than before.

* * *

It was disheartening to see Tommy wander around the area of Junko's fall, looking just about everywhere and softly calling her name.

"He doesn't believe that she's gone," Billy whispered.

_[He's in denial.]_ Snake-Eyes sighed quietly. _[Nothing we say right now will change his mind.]_

Billy waded into the river, biting back a yelp at the freezing water. "I-I'm going to d-dive down to see if her body is stuck between t-two rocks or something."

Snake-Eyes just nodded and continued his patrol along the riverbank. From the looks of it, Junko's body most likely buried itself at the bottom of the river, given the height she fell from. If this was so, retrieving the body would be no easy task, as it probably would be in pieces with bits of flesh nibbled away by fish.

Was there a possibility she could have survived? Snake tilted his head back to look at the cliff overhead. With correct form and timing, yes - she could have survived. But the expression on her face and her sob of, "Farewell, my love," before she jumped were indications that she did not plan on surviving.

It certainly was heartbreaking to see her unable to live with herself after seeing the injuries she had inflicted on Tommy, but her death was avoidable. Tommy himself had been tricked into thinking that Snake-Eyes - his own _sword brother_ - was his enemy. Snake had long since lost count of the number of wounds he had received from Tommy. But despite each almost sending the other to the grave dozens of times, once Tommy had broken free from his brainwashing, the two of them made up almost instantly.

Storm Shadow had committed the same offense Junko had, except that it was directed at his brother. Junko should have known that Storm would forgive her.

Then again, her mind was probably shattered beyond repair. Storm had pushed on despite his broken psyche because he had a family vendetta to take care of. Junko... Junko didn't have such motivation. Her parents' deaths had been avenged before she met Tommy.

"Have you found her yet?"

Snake-Eyes leveled his head to look at his brother. _[No. She might have washed downstream.] _

"Then we'll go looking for her downstream."

Billy climbed out of the river and stood behind Snake, trying his best not to shiver. "Tommy, if she's downstream, then it's likely she-"

"_NO._" Storm's eyes snapped to his former apprentice. "She _is _alive! No student of mine just _dies _whenever they feel like it." He turned on them. "Go back to the compound if you wish, but I'm going to continue looking."

"But it's almost sunset. We should be getting back."

Storm glared at Billy over his shoulder. "Consider this an opportunity to practice searching in the dark." He continued walking along the river.

Billy shot Snake-Eyes a pleading look, but the ninja merely shook his head. It was no use trying to stop Tommy from anything.

* * *

Kuruo ran his fingers through his hair tiredly. His legs ached from the day's work and he felt just about ready to collapse, but he forced himself to walk. Ahead of him, a little toddler ran around, squealing with excitement.

The joyous sound of his own child's laughter tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Papa!" Shinju giggled as she ran towards him, a pebble in each of her little hands. "Look at these! Aren't they pretty?"

Smiling, Kuruo bent over and carefully examined his daughter's discovery. "They sure are. Why don't we bring them back home for mama to see?"

"Okay!" Shinju pocketed the two pebbles and continued on her quest for all things smooth and shiny. Kuruo sighed deeply and followed her. His daughter always enjoyed strolls along the river. Unfortunately, most of the time, he and his wife didn't have the time or strength to take her out. It was a shame, in his opinion. Fresh air and an appreciation for nature was something every growing child ought to have.

He inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the cool air of the evening. Some of his stress melted away with the last rays of day. He had his wife and he had his child. It was nice to know that those were two facts that would never change, not if he could help it.

"Papa!"

Kuruo snapped out of his reverie at the worry in Shinju's voice. "What is it, dear?"

Shinju stood very still, her eyes fixed on something on the riverbank. A figure lay there, half-curled up and unmoving. The person's long black hair was a tangled, sandy mess and their clothes hung in tatters from their body. There was a very noticeable trail of red flowing from the body to the river.

Kuruo's stomach lurched and his head swam nauseatingly. "Shinju, look away," he said softly.

The little girl blinked up at him. "Why?"

"Look away," he repeated.

Obediently, she spun around to stare at their footprints in the sand.

Slowly, Kuruo approached the body. "Hello?" he called out cautiously. No response.

He gently brushed the hair away from the person's face, then blinked. The girl - no, _woman - _looked to be in about her mid-twenties and was quite lovely. She had a few cuts on her arms and side, accompanied by one nasty-looking gash on her leg.

Kuruo felt his heart sink. Had she committed suicide? He wouldn't be surprised if the young woman had been abused and decided to drown herself in the river. Scooting forward, he found her wrist and pressed two fingers below her thumb. She felt cold. Too cold.

Still, he waited with closed eyes, trying to make out a heartbeat. After a while, he sighed. "We need to give you a proper burial," he whispered to the body. "Poor girl."

Just then, something twitched beneath his fingers. Eyes wide, he stared at her hand. There, he felt it again. A heartbeat. Weak, but it was there.

His throat suddenly felt thick and it was difficult for him to swallow. "Shinju," he choked. "Run to the nearest house and call 119. This lady needs help."


	3. Memory I

Junko drifted back to consciousness, and was immediately greeted with a familiar sensation.

Pain. Her head throbbed, her arms ached, her right leg felt heavy and tight, and she was willing to bet that there was a knife embedded in her side.

Why was she feeling pain? She was dead. Dead people aren't supposed to feel pain.

Or... maybe she was in Hell. Yes, that was another possibility.

No, that can't be it. She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears, its dull pounding a mocking voice of her failure to take her own life. Had she trained with Tommy so much that his inability to die rubbed off on her?

Tommy... Tommy!

The events of the past few days hit her with the force of a car. Junko drew in a sharp, pained breath and released it in a shaky, teary moan. Her mind numbed, and she barely felt the cool towel being pressed to her forehead.

"Glad to see you're still with us, miss," a female voice murmured. "Don't worry - you're in good hands. The doctor said that you should make a full recovery."

Make a full recovery and continue life plagued by her actions and false memories? Junko didn't find that appealing.

With considerable effort, she forced her eyes open and blinked several times. Her body still felt heavy from drug-induced sleep. As soon as her vision cleared, she could see the outline of a woman - a nurse, she supposed - and the white coat of a doctor. "You just had surgery, you know." The nurse tucked the blankets under Junko's chin as if she was a child. "Minor internal bleeding. You're fine now, though."

Junko rolled her head away from the nurse. News of a successful operation would please most people, but she wasn't 'most people'. Most people didn't try and murder the ones closest to them, and most people didn't jump off of cliffs.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and she opened her mouth. "... W-who brought me here?" she managed to whisper, then almost regretted it. Her throat felt scratchy and dry.

"A nice family did. The father found you by the river and called the hospital just in time." The nurse held a glass of water to her lips, and Junko drank. "You should get some rest." There was a slight pinch in her arm. "I've given you a painkiller. Try to fall asleep. Ring the bell if you need anything." And with that, the nurse went away.

Junko laid very still as the painkiller took effect. After what felt like eternity, she finally closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Junko."

Junko looked up at her mother, her little hands clenched around the ribbon she was playing with. "Yes, mama?"

Her mother walked over. "Your papa has asked me to take you somewhere special."

"Special?" she chirped.

"Yes. Special." Her mother offered her hand. After clumsily transferring the ribbon to one hand, Junko took her mother's.

The drive didn't last long, but it was long enough for Junko to count out loud twenty-three trees, thirteen people walking their dogs, and ten stop signs. She didn't know if her mother found her counting annoying; the woman didn't say anything the entire drive except for, "Sweetheart, put your seatbelt back on. Yes, I know the dog is very fluffy, but you'll have to see it sitting down."

Her mother pulled the car into the parking lot in front of a white building. Curious, Junko peered out the window. It took her five whole seconds to recognize the person standing on the sidewalk, looking at them.

"Papa!" Junko unclipped her seatbelt and opened the car door.

"Junko!" Her mother slammed on the brakes, but it did no good. The child wasn't used to getting out of moving cars, and she tumbled to the ground as soon as her foot touched it.

Strong hands picked her up before she even realized that she had fallen. Blinking, she looked at her father and his amused smile. "Careful there, darling. I don't want you getting injured on your first day of training." He kneeled and began dusting her off.

Tears that were beginning to form in her eyes quickly disappeared. "Training?"

"Yes." Her father walked to a nearby bench and picked up a small folded white uniform. "I'm going to teach you martial arts."

Junko's jaw dropped, earning her a chuckle from her father. "Fighting?" she asked.

"Fighting is not the _only _thing you'll learn. You'll come to understand _patience _and _discipline_-"

She wasn't listening. Excited, she began jumping up and down in place. "I'm going to be a Kung-fu master! I'm going to kick butt!"

Despite her excitement, she stopped when her father raised his hand. "Junko, dear, I don't teach Kung-fu."

Her shoulders slumped.

"But..." He smirked when Junko's eyes lit up. "I do teach a form of martial art that is _just as powerful_ as Kung-fu."

"Really?!"

"Yes. I'll show you." Smiling, he led her into the dojo and towards a changing stall. A few minutes later, both father and daughter emerged, with the daughter in a loose white uniform. "Since you're a beginner, you get a white belt," her father said as he tied a white belt around her waist.

She stared at it, then looked up at him. "But I don't wanna white belt!"

He blinked. "Then what do you want?"

Junko crossed her arms. "I wanna black one," she grumbled. "Like you."

Her father briefly glanced down at his belt. "Junko, you're going to have to earn your black belt."

"How?"

"By listening to me and following my instructions."

"Okay!" She straightened her back and faced him square on. "Teach me, papa!" She bowed so low and so quickly that she nearly fell over.

Snickering, her father returned the bow. "Alright, Junko Akita."

When he raised his head, Junko couldn't hold back a shriek. His face was no longer that of her father's. Instead, Tommy's eyes stared back at her. Shocked, she looked around. They were no longer in her father's dojo. Instead, they were in the Arashikage courtyard and she was wearing a different training uniform.

"Alright, Junko Akita," her father - no, _Tommy _- repeated. "I will teach you."


End file.
